Raging Bull (1980)

I think I finally understand why Raging Bull, nominated for Best Picture of 1980, lost the award to Ordinary People. As remarkable an achievement as it is, Raging Bull is almost too clinical in its depiction of the way that violence permeates one man's life. Ordinary People, on the other hand, is a very emotional film that strikes at the heart of the family. I think, given those choices in 1980, the Academy went with the one that had the most emotional resonance for them.

That's not to say that Raging Bull doesn't have quite a powerful impact on a viewer. This is a brilliantly filmed movie, one that uses its black-and-white cinematography to full effect. It allows Robert DeNiro, then at his acting peak, to burrow into the character of real-life boxer Jake La Motta. And the screenplay is a marvel of construction, allowing us to see the progression over time of La Motta's inability to restrain his violent urges.

This is certainly one of the greatest films ever made by Martin Scorsese, and it's widely considered his best. (I still think Taxi Driver might deserve that designation, but no matter.) As in others of his pictures, Scorsese is here examining the culture of violence and how it has permeated America. La Motta is but one example of a man whose life spirals out of control because of his inability to contain the brutal urges he feels. He cannot merely "keep it in the ring." He beats up his wife and his brother, and he seems incapable of stopping himself from always making the wrong decisions about his career and his future.

To me, one of the real strengths of the film is the series of boxing matches that are depicted. There's almost a poetic beauty to the beating that two men inflict upon each other in the ring. It's pretty tough to watch at times, certainly, but the use of slow motion and the sound effects editing provide a different context for viewing the pummeling. Maybe it's that dissection of the art of boxing (a metaphor for the violence of everyday life?) that proved too much for Academy members. As much as they admired the overall achievement of the film, they just didn't "feel" the depth of pain that a man like La Motta suffered. Perhaps he just seemed like a brute to them, and they chose instead to honor a movie that tugged at their hearts more directly and softly.